LINDA TRACE DESIGNS

crafty adventures of a makeup loving Japanophile!

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Tuesday 26 August 2014

ALS Ice bucket challenge

Hi friends!

So I'm sure many of you have seen all the ALS Icebucket challenge videos going around, I got nominated by my friend Christine, and I took the challenge!


Now it's winter here so ice is scarce, but I used a bucket of FREEZING cold water :)

I'm nominating my good friends Mary Dawn, Steph Britt and Lisa Spangler







for more information on this terrible disease and how you can help out with donating, please visit http://www.alsa.org/about-als/what-is-als.html

thanks!

Linda xx

Monday 25 August 2014

Current Challenge over at ABNH: OMBRE

Hi friends!

I'm so behind on posting here on the ol' bloggo-sorry for that!

I thought I'd share the card I made for the current challenge over at A Blog Named Hero.

This time we want you to break out your 
http://www.ablognamedhero.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/challenge-50-ombre.html

 This month we are lucky enough to be working with
http://reverseconfetti.com/


I wanted something clean, graphic and a little bit masculine for this card, so here's what I came up with.


I used 3 Hero Arts Shadow Inks (navy, pool and cornflower), to ink up the sentiment (from Reverse Confetti).  The background stamp is Hero Arts and is stamped in HA Blackboard ink.

I added some sequins from Neat and Tangled (where else?!) and that was that!

I hope you like it!

Please pop on over to the ABNH blog to check out the rest of the examples the DT have cooked up for you, and even enter the challenge! You have a few days left and you could win a

http://www.simonsaysstamp.com/


thanks to our super fabulous sponsors!


http://www.simonsaysstamp.com/

thanks, as always, for stopping by!














Watercolouring with Distress Markers

Hi friends!

I'm here with a sweet card using Some Odd Girl and some Distress Markers as watercolour paints.

I stamped the image, and then scribbled the markers onto an acrylic block, before picking them up with a wet water colouring brush, and painting the image.



To create that fun sky background, I waited for the fairy image to dry completely, then I wet the rest of the background with a clean brush, and then slowly added small amounts of blue to the page. The pre-wetting allows the ink to move around freely (which takes away the 'brush stroke' look) I love how this looks! To add deeper colour in some sections, you can either wait for it to dry, then add more ink, or you can remove some of the colour using a dry paper towel :))

I love this soft dreamy effect!

The sentiment is from Hero Arts. Love this handwritten sentiment from my sweet friend Lisa.

That's it for today!

see you again soon!


Monday 18 August 2014

Umbrella Gwen walking in the rain

Hello!

It's I took about two weeks away from my computer and my DT's recently, due to some family kerfuffle, and during that time, I did my best to get a LOT of crafting done so as to get ahead.

SO far it seems to have worked!

I have several cards all ready to go, waiting to be share with you, so I'll be ATTEMPTING to keep a bit of a schedule from now on (we'll see how that goes lol)

For today, I'm sharing a card I made using Some Odd Girl stamps. I coloured in this image of Umbrella Gwen several weeks ago, and she's been sitting on my desk waiting for me to add her to a card.



I had coloured Gwen with lots of bright tones, and added detail to her dress and umbrella using my white gel pen, so I wanted to keep the background pretty simple.

I thought it would look like she was walking along a rainy city street if I used this patterned paper, and I love the effect! Some white alpha stickers for a super simple sentiment and I was done!

Thanks for looking!

Be Back soon


Saturday 16 August 2014

Gold and Navy

Hi there!

I thought I'd have some fun playing with some Avery Elle Stamps that I've had for ages, but haven't had a chance to use for a while.


I saw this photo on Pinterest and thought it would make a cool card, but I don't have that ikat pattern on any stamps (WHY NOT?!) so I went with this Japanese fan style image.

I used Gold Delicata and Hero Arts Navy. Such a beautiful combination!


love the shine you get with that delicata!

That's it for me, a quick one today!

See you again soon!

Linda x

Monday 11 August 2014

Mama Elephant Thinking of You

Hi friends!

I'm here today to share a super cute card I made using the Mama Elephant sets In My Heart and Up and Away.

First I stamped the little girl from In My Heart, on an angle, and then the balloons, so that it looked as if the balloons were lifting her away.

I then set about colouring the images in, using my copic markers. I added some fun glitter to the balloons using my Wink of Stella glitter pen. The sentiment is from In My Heart as well, and I used Hero Arts Black Dye Ink (as I always do for my sentiments!)




For the base layer of card stock, I took some Simon Says Stamp Tiffany Blue Cardstock and the coordinating ink, and stamped a background stamp from Impression Obsession. I love that tone on tone look. Perfect for an extra touch, without taking away from the main image/panel on the card.

I love these sweet images! So fun to colour and they're so so cute.

I hope you like!

I'll be back again soon with another card :)

Have a great day!


Elephant birthday


Hi again!!

Its cutesy-elephants time!!

I coloured these two cuteys in with my Prismacolour pencils, and used some blending solution over them (cue me still squealing over the difference it makes).

I then fussy cut them and added them on top of my patterned paper sky and grass





I used a Simon Says stamp curved edge die for the grassy hill. I then cut a little slit in between the elephant's feet (it didn't hurt him I promise) and added the little paper-pieced gift.

I love how the elephant on the right looks shy. squee!

Hope to see you again soon!







Thursday 7 August 2014

Creat a Smile August Release BLOG HOP


Hi friends!

I'm here with a FUN post today because it's release time for Create A Smile!  We thought we'd do a Blog Hop, so you should have come here from the incredibly talented Laura's blog!


Create A Smile are a new stamps company in town - their first stamps were released in July 2014. The stamps are made of high quality photo-polymer and produced in Germany. They will for sure make you smile!
 
For this hop, we asked on our Facebook page, for suggestions on topics or types of projects we could create! Anyone who's suggestion was used in the hop by a DT member or hop participant, wins a

For today's card I used Distress Markers as watercolour 'paints' and I went with a fab idea from Ágnes Eglesz-Tábori: congratulation or encouragement card/tag/wrapping.

 

Poor little guy is stuck indoors coz of the rain! Hope he gets some sunshine soon :)



Create A Smile are a new stamps company in town - their first stamps were released in July 2014. The stamps are made of high quality photo-polymer and produced in Germany. They will for sure make you smile!

These are the facts:
Create A Smile is releasing two sets TOMORROW! You can find their store at www.createasmilestamps.com 
There are TWO fun sets filled with super cute images, available for purchase at 8am CET (2am EST).

You can win a $15 gift-certificate for the store - all you need to do is hop along and leave comments on all the fantastic and inspiring stops (one comment per person, per blog please!). We’ll pick random winner from all the comments - so the more blogs you visit (and leave a comment on) - the more chances you have to be a winner!
 
You have until Saturday August, 9th 8am CET (that's 2am USA EST). The winner will be announced on the Create A Smile Blog on Sunday (July 13th)

 



Next up you're off to the lovely Mayuri's blog, Can't wait to see what genius she's made for us all!

Enjoy the Hop!















 

Saturday 2 August 2014

ABNH Die Cutting Challenge: Inlaid Diecutting



Hi friends!

I'm here with the card I've made for this months' new challenge over at A Blog Named Hero!

We're collaborating with the fantastic Reverse Confetti for the entire month, and this time our challenge is to use Die Cutting!


http://reverseconfetti.com/

Here's what I came up with



I thought I'd pull a Laura Bassen while making this card. She always makes THE most ridiculously gorgeous cards that are somehow intricate yet super simple. It's an amazing talent she has!

I hope you like it! It took a while. That inlaid die-cutting looks amazing but holy moly is it fiddly.

I'll be trying it again :)

Be sure to head over to ABNH and enter the challenge, for your chance to win a

http://www.simonsaysstamp.com/

thanks to our fabulous sponsors
http://www.simonsaysstamp.com/


Be sure to have a look! the DT have been INSPIRED yet again :)




Friday 1 August 2014

Roarsome

Hi friends!

I'm here with a fun card I made using Some Odd Girl On Safari stamp set.




I recently bought some mineral spirits (used to blend coloured pencil) and oh my goodness does it make a difference!!!!!! I can't get over it.

The background of the main panel (the orange) was done using Hero Arts Orange Soda Mid-Tone ink, and Impression Obsession background stamp.  The panel was diecut using a Mama Elephant die.

I added some stickles to those thickers and hand-drawn stitch marks on the star :)
Love that shimmer!

Such a cute lion I think. I'll be giving this card to my nephew :) He's totally roarsome.

See you soon!